Take a dip in Edinburgh this New Year

Spending Hogmanay in one of Edinburgh's many hotels or B&Bs? Well if you want to see in the New Year in style, you could join the hundreds of fancy-dressed 'loons' taking part in a chilly charity dip in the Firth of Forth.

The Loony Dook, held on New Year's Day at Queensferry in the Scottish capital, could be the ideal way to get rid of the hangover caused by too much New Year partying.

Some 500 brave people took to the icy waters for the 2007 event, while over 2,500 spectators stood on the sidelines and watched in comparative warmth.

This year will be the 22nd year of the event, and organisers are hoping to beat the £4,000 raised for the event's main charity the Radio Forth Help a Child appeal last year.

Started on January 1st 1987, the event has long attracted people of all ages - from eight to 80.

Writing on the event's website, an event spokesperson gave his personal account: "It is quite a shock to the system, but, believe it or not, it's much worse coming out into the freezing cold air…although the fantastic camaraderie of people from places like South Africa, Australia, Canada, Germany, USA, Malayasia, etc, makes it all so much easier to bear."

For their courageousness, "Dookers" are given hot toddies and soup to thaw them out when they eventually emerge from the waters.

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